Photograph
by SamanthaSavvy
Summary: Sweenett oneshot. Sweeney's cleaning out his old bedroom & finds an old photo album, full of memories of the past...


**Hey ppl. This idea just kinda came to me, & I just like had to do it. . the song is "Photograph" by Nickelback. So, I'll be honest with you guys, this little fic-y turned out a lot different than I had originally planned, but I think it's pretty good for where it ended up. Reviews are very appreciated. I would have kept going with the "intimate scene"… but I thought it was a pretty good ending point. Tell me whatcha think. .**

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He looked up from his shining friend, scowling at the mess of what his bedroom used to be. It was filthy, everything coated with half an inch of dust. Sweeney ran his finger along the bedpost, pulling his hand back to see a nice little pile of dust settling on his index finger. Grimacing, he brushed it off, glancing at the rest of the room. His eyes settled on the bed, where he used to lay awake, staring at his wife's beautiful yellow hair as she slept.

_Look at this photograph  
Everytime I do it makes me laugh_

Sudden grief washed over him as the memories came plummeting over him like a tsunami. He remembered so many things as Benjamin Barker, so many memories of his wife & Johanna, & of Mr. & Mrs. Lovett when he had first moved in.

_How did our eyes get so red  
And what the hell is on Joey's head_

Sweeney cautiously stepped forward, towards the chair in the corner. He tripped over a small box in the floor, looking down at it with a death glare for being in his way. He bent down & picked it up, examining its current state. Like all the other objects in the room, it too was covered in extreme dust, the cardboard molding at the corners.

_And this is where I grew up  
I think the present owner fixed it up_

He made his way over to the chair he had previously had his eyes set on, & placed the box in his lap. He slowly, carefully removed the lid, & almost gasped at what he saw. He had completely forgotten about the item he now held in his pale white fingers. The velvet cover, slightly dusted over, held many forgotten ghosts of the past.

_I never knew we'd ever went without  
The second floor is hard for sneaking out_

"Barker Family Album," he read the cover, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He ran his fingers over the burgundy velvet, feeling the soft prickly feeling sting his fingers.

_And this is where I went to school  
Most of the time had better things to do_

Reluctantly, he opened the book, knowing not what to expect from the family remnant. He did however, remember that it was Lucy's idea to get a photo album, & they had filled it up quickly with favorable photos.

_Criminal record says I broke in twice  
I must have done it half a dozen times_

The first page held a family picture, black & white, a stiff facial expression gracing every face in the picture. Benjamin & Lucy, Mrs. Lovett & Albert, & in the front, almost like the centerpiece of the photo, was little Johanna in her carriage, the most bubbly, excited expression gracing her soft features.

_I wonder if it's too late  
Should i go back and try to graduate_

Sweeney let a tiny smirk dance across his face as he reminisced of the old days. Of the day the picture was taken. He ran his firm fingers over Lucy's figure, his usual frown taking its place back on his lips.

_Life's better now then it was back then  
If I was them I wouldn't let me in_

As he examined the other characters in the photo, he let his thoughts lead to Mrs. Lovett. Oh, she really was a beauty back then. Actually, if you compared the photograph Sweeney now held in his hands to the Mrs. Lovett in the pie shop directly underneath him, you would see very little difference between the two. The same fiery red hair, the same wide, chocolate brown eyes, the same luscious, pale pink lips. The only difference was the tiny wrinkles at the corners of her eyes nowadays. You could hardly see them, but they were there. But she was still beautiful as ever.

_Every memory of looking out the back door  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

Albert, still as heavy set as he'd ever been, took up almost the whole right side of the photograph. A small chuckle escaped Sweeney's lips as he realized how fat he really had been. His grip on Mrs. Lovett looked excruciatingly painful, yet she showed no sign of it. You could almost see in her eyes the smile that always graced her features.

_Every memory of walking out the front door  
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

Flipping the page, he saw the "screw-ups"; the photos that had goofed up. Benjamin had loved the natural feel of the photos & had refused to throw them out. There was one of the same bunch, Ben, Lucy, Johanna, Eleanor, & Albert, but you could tell it was a goof up.

_Remember the old arcade  
Blew every dollar that we ever made_

Sweeney remembered whispering something awful into Mrs. Lovett's ear, but once he'd said it, they both realized that it sounded completely wrong, & both busted out laughing as the photographer pressed the shutter button. He'd felt guilty afterwards, seeing as Lucy & Albert had both been equally unimpressed with their gutter-filled minds.

_The cops hated us hangin' out  
They say somebody went and burned it down_

He & Eleanor had had so much in common; it was a wonder he hadn't ended up with her in the first place instead of Lucy. They had, once upon a time, been the best of friends, always sticking to eachother's side. Honestly, their relationship had been much more than just mere friendship, picnics in the park, long walks through the woods, little pecks here & there…

_We used to listen to the radio  
And sing along with every song we know_

Sweeney shook his head, shaking the thoughts out of his mind, & focusing again on the photo album in his lap. On the opposite page was one of just the Barker family. Lucy had her head turned away from the camera, & Ben had been looking intently at little Johanna, a small smile on his pink lips. It was a beautiful picture. Although Lucy hadn't liked the picture for the mere fact that she looked awkward in it, Ben had kept it.

_We said someday we'd find out how it feels  
To sing to more than just the steering wheel_

The next few pictures were of more family pictures, some of just the Barkers, others just the Lovetts, & the last one of all 5 of them again.

_Nellie's the first girl I kissed  
I was so nervous that I nearly missed_

The second half of the album was full of candid pictures from random moments in their lives up until Benjamin was sent to Australia. The first one was of Ben & Lucy, arms around eachother, when he had first started courting her. As Sweeney looked more intently at the photograph, he saw a very depressed Nellie, staring intently at the couple.

_She's had a couple of kids since then  
I haven't seen her since god knows when_

He turned the page, finding more pictures of Ben & Lucy, some of her when she was pregnant, her bulging belly fully recognizable in the photo.

_Every memory of looking out the back door  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

There were only two more photos left in the album. Sweeney saw they were both of just him & Mrs. Lovett. A blush started to creep its way up to his cheeks as he studied the last pictures.

_Every memory of walking out the front door  
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

In the first, Mrs. Lovett had her arms around Ben, a very content smile on her lips. Ben was standing there looking a tad awkward at the situation. But Sweeney remembered how his expression had changed from shock to blissful the moment after the photo had been taken.

_I miss that town  
I miss the faces  
You can't erase  
You can't replace it_

He settled his eyes on the last photo. At last, a full fledged smile lept onto his lips. It was up in his barber shop, Mrs. Lovett in the barbering chair, Benjamin leaning over her from above, his razor pressed playfully against her neck. Nellie's expression was just priceless, she played the part of the shocked customer perfectly, her hands around her neck, her eyes wide & her mouth wide open & fake-gagging for breath. A seductive little smirk played about Ben's lips, an eyebrow cocked as he looked directly at the camera.

_I miss it now  
I can't believe it  
_

_So hard to stay  
Too hard to leave it_

His chuckle grew louder as he remembered how the situation had grown from just a playful little picture, to a very rowdy night…

_If I could I relive those days  
I know the one thing that would never change_

Thankfully, both Albert & Lucy had been out of the house at the moment. It was just Sweeney & Nellie, & of course little Johanna. The babysitter had offered to take the photo, & afterwards, took the baby down stairs to excuse herself from the heated situation about to take place.

_Every memory of looking out the back door  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

He had excused the lady, his arms coming around Nellie's waist as he exclaimed that he wished for Mrs. Greggs ((the babysitter)) to take Johanna downstairs for a bit. After a few moments, somehow Ben & Eleanor ended up in his bed & all hell broke loose after that. Of course, there had been some alcohol involved with this very sexual display that night.

_Every memory of walking out the front door  
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for_

Suddenly, Sweeney heard footsteps coming up the stairs outside, pulling him out of his reverie. He quickly got up from the chair he'd been sitting in for so long & made his way over to the door leading to his barbershop. He walked in to find Mrs. Lovett glancing around the shop with a tray of food in her hands.

"Mr. T! You gave me a fright!" She gasped, her hand flying to her chest. She glanced down at his hand, recognizing the album. Her eyes widened & a smile flew to her face. "Mr. T! Is that the old photo album?" she squealed.

Sweeney simply nodded. There was still the slightest remnants of a blush on his pale cheeks, reminding him of the last photograph he'd seen. Mrs. Lovett sat the tray down onto the chest beside her & practically ran over to Sweeney.

"Well, let's see it! Oh, I haven't seen that in over 10 years!" she squeaked as she pushed him down into his barber chair. She took it upon herself to sit down on the arm of the chair, not too close to Mr. Todd, but still close enough to feel the warmth radiating off his skin so close to him. She leaned over, opening the velvet covered book in Sweeney's lap.

As she reached down to flip open the cover of the book, her hands grazed the hardening bulge in Sweeney's pants, which he hadn't even realized was there. He bit down on his bottom lip as his cheeks turned to a bright crimson, the already deep feeling he was getting plummeting to a peak, his pants seemingly getting too tight for his comfort.

Mrs. Lovett didn't even seem to notice any wrongdoing she'd just committed, too consumed on the fact that there were many pictures of both her & Sweeney -or rather Benjamin- in that album.

As she flipped through the pages of the album, rambling on about different photos, Sweeney couldn't help but compare the old Nellie he used to have such a fondness for to the Mrs. Lovett before him, practically sitting in his lap. That thought only seemed to make his bulge get bigger, if that was even possible.

Finally, Mrs. Lovett came upon the last 2 photos. The first, she saw her arms wrapped contentedly around Mr. Barker's waist, a silly little grin on her face. She giggled slightly at the photo, glancing up to see Sweeney's reaction. But she realized he'd already set his eyes on the very last photo, a deep crimson blush very visible on his cheeks. Feeling her gaze on him, he quickly loked up at her, his eyes wide.

Mrs. Lovett looked down at the last photo, to see what had made Sweeney so abashed. Her eyes widened to the same extent as Mr. Todd's, realization hitting her square in the face. Her cheeks turned a bright pink, giggling nervously at the position they'd been in.

Suddenly, Sweeney had leapt out of the chair, causing Mrs. Lovett to fall into the chair. He had quickly strode behind the barber chair, his blade pressed against Mrs. Lovett's neck lightly. His eyes held a dangerous smirk, his voice a husky undertone.

"How would you like to 'reminisce' the old days, Mrs. Lovett?... Hmm? That position seems quite tasteful if you ask me…" Sweeney had leaned forward enough to see her reaction, her eyes wide & glazed over with full throttled lust.

_Look at this photograph  
Everytime I do it makes me laugh  
Everytime I do it makes me..._

She looked directly into his onyx-colored eyes, & just like old days, they ended up on that dusty dirty bed, & all hell broke loose.


End file.
